Ian Schrager and his Public Hotel take on Airbnb with a property that boasts five bars but few unnecessary amenities

NEW YORK CITY—Stroll into Public, a full-service, 367-room hotel that opened this summer on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and it quickly becomes apparent that certain features are nowhere to be found.

Sure, there’s a coffee shop and market on the ground floor, complete with fresh fruit, local gourmet hot dogs and poke bowls. But in the lobby, an escalator ride up from the market, there’s no front desk, no concierge, no luggage attendant.

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